Stanford @ Southern California preview
Galen Center
Last Meeting ( Jan 18, 2020 ) Stanford 78, Southern California 82
Stanford hopes its offense will catch up with its defense when the Cardinal visit Southern California in the Pac-12 Conference opener for both teams on Sunday night in Los Angeles.
Stanford (2-2) hasn't shown much flair or consistency on the offensive end so far this season, but the Cardinal have clamped down well defensively.
USC (4-1), meanwhile, has received scoring from a variety of sources, and the Trojans have remained efficient in their efforts.
"The offense is going to take some time and I think our defense right now is awfully good," Stanford coach Jerod Haase said. "We've got to hurry up and get the offense streamlined so we are as efficient as we are on the defensive end."
Oscar Da Silva, the top returning scorer for the Cardinal after averaging 15.7 points last season, knows where he needs to improve.
He took 10 shots or fewer in each of the first three games before going 12 for 16 from the floor and scoring 26 points in Stanford's most recent game, a 78-46 win against North Carolina AT&T on Dec. 6 in Greensboro, N.C.
Da Silva said a halftime pep talk from fellow starters Daejon Davis and Bryce Wills helped change his mindset.
"I stopped being aggressive and tried to find guys on the perimeter or find guys down low instead of looking for myself," Da Silva said. "Once I got more aggressive people started paying more attention to me, and then we got more shots on the outside, too, which is always a good byproduct."
Da Silva's assertiveness should continue to open up more room for sharpshooter Spencer Jones, who shot 43.1 percent from 3-point range last season, third best in the Pac-12, but is at 20 percent so far this season.
The Trojans have eight players averaging 6.2 points or better so far this season.
As a team, USC is shooting 49.8 percent from the floor, hitting more than half its shots in each of its four wins.
A key addition for the Trojans this year has been Noah Baumann, who sat out last season after transferring from San Jose State.
Baumann scored 18 points in a 91-56 win against UC Irvine on Tuesday, making 4 of 7 from 3-point range.
"I've been working my tail off during the summer," Baumann said. "I'm trying to bring that intensity, showing what I can do for this basketball team."
--Field Level Media